The Heart of Pan
by NeverGirl
Summary: Only Wendy holds the key to saving Neverland and stopping Peter Pan's evil from rising. ONESHOT. Will not continue as an actual story.


Peter Pan swung back and forth in his hemic playing his pipes lazily. He sighed and threw his hands with the instrument into his lap, staring at the ceiling.

"Pan!" his most loyal lost boy called from outside.

Peter climbed out from the underground hideout beneath the large oak tree to meet his call.

"What should we do with the grown-ups on the island?"

Peter glared. "Kill them. I've got what I wanted from them." With those orders, Pan took off into the woods until he was sure no one was around. He took the small bottle of pixie dust from around his neck and poured it over himself until he was up in the air. He smiled and with one quick move, he shot himself into the sky towards his destination.

_Before the curse._

The shadow held tight to Wendy's small fingers until they reached the island, night suddenly turning into day.

"Oh, it's beautiful!" she awed.

It wasn't long before the shadow took Wendy down to the beach and flew away. "Wait!" she called.

"Don't worry."

She turned with a gasp to see a boy with dirty blonde hair and dark blue eyes, standing before her. She put her hand to her heart. "You frightened me."

"I'm-"

"I know! You're Peter Pan! I tell my brothers stories of you all the time!"

He smiled. "I know. I've been waiting for you for quite some time."

"Me? Whatever for?" she tilted her head.

He stepped closer. "I want you to be our mother."

"Mother?"

"Yes, come with me!" he took her hand and flew up into the sky with her.

He took her to a small open field surrounded by trees, with only one giant oak tree in the center. He pushed away a large boulder at the base of the tree to reveal a hole with a rope ladder hanging down it.

Peter began climbing down, Wendy following shortly after him. They reached the bottom, Peter grabbed Wendy's waist to help her down the last few steps. Wendy turned to see the lost boys plwying and swinging about the hideout.

"Boys!" the noise stopped as they all turned to their leader. "Meet, our new mother!"

Wendy waved with her usual bright smile. "Hello!"

They all came rushing towards her before Peter held out his arms to block their path. "Hold on, boys! First I must show Wendy the island."

Peter turned back to Wendy and stepped closer and closer. "But before I can show you anything, you must make the decision now: Will you be our mother?"

Wendy smiled. "Does that mean I can stay on the island forever?"

Peter chuckled and took her hand in his. "I was counting on it."

Her smile widened before she stepped aside from Peter to confront the lost boys. "I will stay!"

Cheers erupted from the hideout.

Peter and Wendy climbed up from the hideout together.

"Where are we going now?" she asked excitedly.

"Where do you want to go?"

"I've always wanted to see the mermaids. I've heard they're just beautiful…" she sighed.

"Alright then," he took her hand. "Off we go!"

_After the curse._

Peter landed roughly when he reached his destination. Skull rock. The eyes of the skull had tiny waterfalls coming out that lead to the sea. The sea was haunted with dangerous creatures that only feared Pan. The boy flew into the eye which lead to a deep cave down below, whre no one could get out of without the magic of flight.

He frowned when he didn't find his captive.

"Wendy?"

"Go away, you!" she seethed.

He smiled and flew toward her musical voice. He found her in the fetal position up against a giant rock. He saw the large gashes on her legs. "Try to escape again, Wendy?"

"I was close, if it hadn't been for that nasty crocodile!"

He laughed and poured some pixie dust on her wounds to heal them. "You're welcome," he smiled.

"I don't recall thanking you," she held her head high.

"You should. I thought you were all about manners?"

"I don't treat monsters with respect."

Peter glared at her. "You shouldn't talk to me like that, Wendy. I'm in no mood."

"I know." She turned toward him. "You always come to me when you're angry. I don't know why. I hate you." She whipped her head back around as to not face him.

He smiled again and put his back to the wall next to her. "You don't hate me."

Wendy said nothing and continued staring at the wall.

He sighed. "Please, Wendy. Just tell me what you want and I'll give it to you. I promise."

She looked at him with hopeful eyes. "Will you take me home?"

"No," he told her.

"Then I refuse to talk to you."

This made him boom with laughter. "Oh, Wendy… We both know you can't keep your mouth shut for more than five second at a time."

"I can so!"

Peter loved being with Wendy. He admired how she never shed a single tear. She never acted sad. It was as if she only had two emotions: happy and mad. He liked her feisty side more, which is why he teased her so much, but for the last hundred years he missed her happiness. He could make her laugh anytime he wanted because, as much as she hated to admit it, she loved him back. But he wanted to see her having fun outside this cold, damp cave. He wanted to go on adventures with her like they used to.

"Alright, bring me my brothers then. That's something you can do for me."

His smiled faded. For Wendy, it had only been a few years, completely oblivious to the fact that her entire family had passed on. But, he had never seen Wendy cry and he wasn't going to start now.

"Wendy, do you really want them to have a life here?"

She frowned. "Why do they get to be so lucky?"

"Because I like you and I take what I like."

_Before the curse._

Wendy and Pan landed on the beach to find the mermaids lounging on rocks and playing with their hair. "Oh, they're so beautiful…"

"Yes, but don't get too close. They'll drowned you if they get the chance. Wait here."

Peter flew over to the spot in the ocean where the mermaids were. "Hello, girls."

"Peter!" they all exclaimed with joy.

"We've missed you!" one with black hair swooned.

"I was just here yesterday," he laughed.

"Too long…" another one sighed happily.

"I'd like you to meet someone!"

The mermaids jumped in and out of the water with glee. "A new lost boy! Oh yes!"

He looked to Wendy on the beach and gestured for her to come. "Come on, Wendy. You're safe."

With that, Wendy took off into the sky and flew over towards Peter and the mermaids.

The mermaid's cheers died down as tension filled the air. "A girl?"

"The lost boy's new mother," Peter stared at Wendy causing her to blush.

Wendy felt another mermaid grab her ankle and pull her down into the water in an attempt to drown her.

Through all the commotion, Peter came down to the potential murderer and ripped her shadow cleaned off, her lifeless body sinking into the lagoon.

All the other mermaids backed away as Peter helped Wendy from the water. "If anyone _ever _touches her again, their fates will be far worse than that." He frowned.

He took Wendy's hand and sped off from the beach.

_After the curse._

Laughter echoed from the cove as Wendy and Peter played together.

"You wouldn't believe it, Wendy! I just ripped his shadow right from him and boom! He was done for!" Peter told her excitedly as he flew about the cave, Wendy watching with glee.

"Oh, Peter! That's awful!"

"He didn't matter," Peter defended himself.

"Everyone matters."

"Not to me."

The girl turned away from him and walked out of his sight behind a boulder.

Peter rolled his eyes and followed her. He held onto the back of her shoulders to get her attention aimlessly.

"Wendy… why do you get mad at every story I tell?"

"Because, you kill people in every story you tell!"

He knew what would cheer her up. He picked up her body bridal style and flew.

"What are you doing?" she held tightly to his neck in fear of falling.

"I just want to show you something." He flew her to the top of the cave where Wendy could see outside. She never got to see the outside because the eyes were too high to reach.

She smiled. The moon was hanging perfectly over the island. Stars twinkled everywhere, reflecting the skies brilliance off the dark water. The sand of the beach took on a silver affect they made Wendy want to roll around in it for the rest of her life. "So beautiful…" she sighed.

While Wendy was gazing at the view of Neverland, Peter gazed at her smile. Wendy turned to see him smiling, happy to see her so happy. Wendy's eye went half lidded as she inched closer to the boys lips.

When Peter realized her motive, he flew down and dropped her into the water. He laughed as she struggled to swim back to the rocky surface.

"Oh, Peter! Why must you ruin everything?"

But when Wendy turned back around, Pan was gone.

Knowing that he was now completely out of hearing range, she went back to the corner of the cave and sobbed into her knees.

_Before the curse._

Wendy stopped Peter once they were over a tall cliff that had the perfect view of the sunset. "Oh, Peter! Let's watch the sunset!"

"What?" he stopped and landed with her. "You don't want to go play?"

"We have plenty of time for that," she told him as she sat on the edge of the cliff, her feet dangling above the sharp rocks below. Peter sat with her with a bored expression.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Wendy sighed.

He didn't say anything.

Wendy turned toward him and gazed at his beautiful young face. He stared back, a feeling building up in the pit of his stomach he had never felt before. He swallowed as she came closer and closer until he finally ended it by pushing her off the cliff. Wendy screamed when she realized she could no longer fly. She felt a hand wrap around hers. It wasn't Peter's it was the shadows. The shadow took her back up the cliff but did not let her go.

"What on earth was-" she was cut off by the sounds of children wailing in the distance. "What is that?"

"The lost boys."

"Are they alright?"

"They want to go home."

"So why not let them?"

Peter stepped closer to her. "No one leaves the island unless I want them to."

Wendy's eyes widened, knowing now that she really was never going home. It all seemed so glorious at first, but now, she knew could never see her family again.

"However…" Peter paced the cliff. "I've come to the decision that girls do not belong on the island. So the shadow will take you home."

Peter didn't want this news getting back to the lost boys and let them think he had gone soft. So he left Wendy with a menacing warning. "But I still need to take someone back with me in your place." He smiled. "Perhaps…your brothers?"

Before Wendy could respond the shadow flew off into the night with her, going back to London.

_Flash forward to the shadow taking Baelfire to Neverland._

Peter scowled when he saw it wasn't Wendy's brothers. "Who are you?"

"Baelfire." The boy told him. "I took Michael and John's place for Wendy. So if you were expecting them-"

Peter grabbed hold of the newcomer's collar furiously. "How do you know Wendy?"

"She's a friend."

This made Peter feel a pang in his stomach. He let go of Baelfire's shirt and flew off into the night.

The everlasting youth stood outside Wendy's bedroom window watching her pace back and forth, no doubt nervous for Baelfire. He came to the realization that Wendy probably had more friends that were boys. Who would eventually turn into lovers. Lovers that weren't him. He hated the thought. He refused to let Wendy grow up but he couldn't let the lost boys know either. He needed to stay fearful.

With fresh anger he slammed the window open hearing Wendy gasp. She quickly ran in front of her brothers as a shield. "You can't have them! You already took Baelfire! Leave us alone!"

"I'm not here for them," Peter seethed as he stormed toward her and took her hand. He pulled Wendy out the window and flew off with her into the night, her pleading for release only angering him more. She would rather grow up than be with him? He would never allow it.

It wasn't long before they had reached skull rock and set Wendy down inside, leaving her there with her echoing shouts being her only company.

_After the curse._

Henry, being an official lost boy now, was allowed to wander the island without guard. He explored his new home with delight. He was happier than he could ever remember being. That was, until he heard the wailing. He followed the cries to a cove. He went inside and found a girl crying into her knees. "Hello?"

The girl gasped and quickly wiped away her tears.

"Why are you here? Girls aren't allowed on the island," he told her.

"I'm Wendy. I've been on this island for over a century now and have been trapped in this cave by Peter Pan."

"Why?"

"I haven't a clue. I just want to go home."

"Well," Henry took her hand. "Come on, I'll take you."

"No," Wendy's hand slipped from under his grasp. "Even if it was possible to escape without Peter killing you, I must stay."

"Why?"

"Because…" Wendy turned and walked to the back of the cave solemnly. "I'm the only one that can save everyone on the island from Peter."

"You can't do anything. Everyone who's fought him has died."

"I'm not going to fight him." She turned around. "I'm going to break the curse he has set upon this wretched land!"

"Curse? What curse?"

Wendy let out a heavy breath. "I know everything about Peter Pan. I know all of his stories and adventures. Even his secrets. I was born knowing and feeling everything he ever did. I don't know why, I just was. That's how I came up with the stories to tell my brothers. It's all from the dreams I've had of him. I realized long ago that those weren't just dreams, they were Pan's memories."

"So what you're saying is… you can read Pan's mind?"

"No," Wendy sighed. "I am Peter's heart."

"What?"

"Everyone knows when you rip your heart out you no longer have a conscious."

"So that's why Pan's evil. Because he doesn't have his heart!"

"Not exactly… You see, Peter's heart was ripped away from him as soon as he cut off his own shadow. His heart, lies within his shadow. Unfortunately, Peter has never reconnected with his shadow since. But there is another way he can be saved."

Henry's eyes widened in realization. "True loves kiss…"

"Yes, if I can give Peter Pan my heart, he will be good again. Neverland will be free like it was always meant to be. If I can kiss him and make him realize that love is worth giving everything else up for, I can save everyone."

"Does Pan know about all this?"

"He only knows of the curse. But he can't read my heart like I can read his. He thinks I don't know how long I've been here, or that my family is gone, or…all the horrible things he's done…" she straightened herself before she continued. "My heart is still in my chest where no one can control it. But his, is with his shadow. But I am willing to give him my heart to save everyone. But it can only be transferred through true love's kiss."

"But if he knows that you're his undoing, why doesn't he just kill you like he does everyone else?"

This made Wendy smile longingly.

"Because he loves me. But he isn't grown up enough to know how much. By kissing him and showing him what true love really is, he will become the one thing he despises more than anything: A man."

**This entire story was only a theory of mine. It will not be continued as an actual story.**

-Never Girl


End file.
